proper

[ prop-er ]

/ ˈprɒp ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR proper ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

adapted or appropriate to the purpose or circumstances; fit; suitable: the proper time to plant strawberries.

conforming to established standards of behavior or manners; correct or decorous: a very proper young man.

fitting; right: It was only proper to bring a gift.

strictly belonging or applicable: the proper place for a stove.

belonging or pertaining exclusively or distinctly to a person, thing, or group.

strict; accurate.

in the strict sense of the word (usually used postpositively): Shellfish do not belong to the fishes proper. Is the school within Boston proper or in the suburbs?

Grammar.

(of a name, noun, or adjective) designating a particular person or thing and written in English with an initial capital letter, as Joan, Chicago, Monday, American.
having the force or function of a proper name: a proper adjective.

normal or regular.

belonging to oneself or itself; own.

Chiefly British Informal. complete or thorough: a proper thrashing.

Ecclesiastical. used only on a particular day or festival: the proper introit.

Heraldry. (of a device) depicted in its natural colors: an oak tree proper.

Informal.

excellent; capital; fine.
good-looking or handsome.

Mathematics. (of a subset of a set) not equal to the whole set.

Archaic. of good character; respectable.

adverb

Informal. thoroughly; completely.

noun

Ecclesiastical. a special office or special parts of an office appointed for a particular day or time.

Nearby words

propension, propensity, propenyl, propenyl group, propepsin, proper, proper adjective, proper fasciculus, proper fraction, proper function, proper motion

Origin of proper

1250–1300; Middle English propre < Old French < Latin proprius one's own

SYNONYMS FOR proper

1 suited.

2, 3 meet, befitting, becoming, decent, polite.

5 special, individual, peculiar.

6 precise, exact, just, formal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR proper ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsprop·er·ly, adverbprop·er·ness, nounun·prop·er, adjectiveun·prop·er·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for proper

We need to recover and grow the idea that the proper answer to bad speech is more and better speech.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He could deliver a quick, effective speech, or hold a proper press conference.
Obama’s Pot Policy Is Refer Madness|James Poulos|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But those incidents are due to mistakes and leaks, not proper fracking procedures.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A portrait of him was done once in which the collar point was made to sit in its proper place.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Proper use could lead to weight loss and reduction in gastric reflux.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We find, then, that even for this remaining division of human activities, scientific culture is the proper preparation.
Essays on Education and Kindred Subjects|Herbert Spencer
I was told that the bones were not replaced but that sticks were inserted to maintain the fingers in proper shape.
The Medicine-Men of the Apache. (1892 N 09 / 1887-1888 (pages 443-604))|John G. Bourke
Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
When the first sale is made, the name and address are entered on one of these cards, and the date indicated in the proper column.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 1|Various
The proper word, however, was auctio, and the auctioneer was called auctor.
Dealings With The Dead|A Sexton of the Old School

British Dictionary definitions for proper

proper

/ (ˈprɒpə) /

adjective

(usually prenominal) appropriate or suited for some purposein its proper place

correct in behaviour or conduct

excessively correct in conduct; vigorously moral

up to a required or regular standard

(immediately postpositive) (of an object, quality, etc) referred to or named specifically so as to exclude anything not directly connected with ithis claim is connected with the deed proper

(postpositive foll by to) belonging to or characteristic of a person or thing

(prenominal) British informal (intensifier)I felt a proper fool

(usually postpositive) (of heraldic colours) considered correct for the natural colour of the object or emblem depictedthree martlets proper

maths logic (of a relation) distinguished from a weaker relation by excluding the case where the relata are identical. For example, every set is a subset of itself, but a proper subset must exclude at least one member of the containing setSee also strict (def. 6)

archaic pleasant or good

adverb

British dialect (intensifier)he's proper stupid

good and proper informal thoroughlyto get drunk good and proper

noun

the parts of the Mass that vary according to the particular day or feast on which the Mass is celebratedCompare ordinary (def. 10)

Derived Formsproperly, adverbproperness, noun

Word Origin for proper

C13: via Old French from Latin prōprius special

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proper

proper

adj.

c.1300, "adapted to some purpose, fit, apt; commendable, excellent" (sometimes ironic), from Old French propre "own, particular; exact, neat, fitting, appropriate" (11c.), from Latin proprius "one's own, particular to itself," from pro privo "for the individual, in particular," from ablative of privus "one's own, individual" (see private (adj.)) + pro "for" (see pro-). Related: Properly.

From early 14c. as "belonging or pertaining to oneself; individual; intrinsic;" from mid-14c. as "pertaining to a person or thing in particular, special, specific; distinctive, characteristic;" also "what is by the rules, correct, appropriate, acceptable." From early 15c. as "separate, distinct; itself." Meaning "socially appropriate, decent, respectable" is first recorded 1704. Proper name "name belonging to or relating to the person or thing in question," is from late 13c., a sense also preserved in astronomical proper motion (c.1300). Proper noun is from c.1500.

proper

adjective

adverb

noun

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Origin of proper

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British Dictionary definitions for proper

proper

adjective

adverb

noun

Word Origin for proper

Word Origin and History for proper

proper